If you hang around a poker table long enough, you will see some weird things happen.
First, let me assure you of one fact: I love poker. Few things make me as happy as sitting down at a poker table and matching my skills, experience and deceptive powers against the other players.
I can tell you without a doubt that all poker players are different. The other night I was playing in a limit Texas Hold'em game at Talking Stick Casino. There were two females, six males and myself at the table.
A middle-aged woman with her hair smartly done was in the pot along with an older man. When the river card was turned over, there were three diamonds, a club and a spade on the board. No pairs.
There had been some betting earlier and when the river came, the guy checked. She turned over her hand to reveal an ace-nine of diamonds.
I couldn't help myself. I said, 'Were you waiting for a better hand?'
What I meant was she had the nut flush. Why didn't she bet?
She kind of blushed and said the man was a friend.
Excuse me, but that kind of thinking is what makes players go broke.
Poker players need to realize there are no friends at the poker table. True friends accept bets and even check raises as part of the game. That is what poker is all about. And yet I see players all the time fail to make bets with nut hands because a friend is in the pot.
If you withhold a nut hand without making a wager, you are not playing poker. Actually I don't know what you are playing, but it isn't poker.
The same thing is true of players who never raise. They actually pride themselves on not raising. Even the thought of playing poker that way makes me feel ill.
I told this story in a past column and I will tell it again because of its importance. The floor person called my name and told me a seat was waiting for me at table 22. When I arrived at the table, I saw two seats were open. One was to the right of a veteran player who was aggressive and who raised a lot. I didn't want that seat because it would end up costing me too much money.
The other seat was to the right of a timid looking woman in her 70s. Joking, I asked her if she would raise me if I sat down next to her.
'Heavens no,' she said, looking shocked. 'I never raise.'
Of course, I took that seat and she was right. During the three hours I played poker next to her, she never once raised the pot. But she was a calling station and I took quite a bit of money from her.
Strange things happen at poker tables. Some are costly to players while others are profitable. If you play poker, make sure you are on the profitable side.
Here is another weird poker move that you can profit from. If a player is the first to act, he or she will almost always bet the flop. Say the flop comes 10, seven, four. If a player bets and another person calls and I have a 10 in my hand, I will always raise.
I do it for two reasons. I think I have the best hand and even if I don't, it almost always gives me a free card on fourth street since both players will usually check to me. Naturally, if I pick up my second pair I will come out betting. I may even bet on fourth street even if I don't improve. Often the original bettor will fold and sometimes the caller will also muck his hand.
If there are weird poker moves at your table, play your cards aggressively and watch the profits mount up. Good luck. Let the games begin.
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).
